


When the worst thing that could happen, could be the best thing ever

by Marishna



Series: Divinity [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Hale Fire, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Human, Food as a Metaphor for Love, M/M, Meddling Laura, POV Stiles, stiles is a baker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 18:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marishna/pseuds/Marishna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not like Stiles had a choice in the shop name or history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the worst thing that could happen, could be the best thing ever

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fullmoon_ficlet prompt "divinity" on LJ. Form where I started brainstorming for this prompt to where the fic ended up are very, very different points. It really got away from me by the time I was in the thick of it so I hope it makes sense like it did in my head.

It's not like Stiles had a choice in the shop name or history.

He inherited the small bakery and cafe, Divinity, from his grandmother once his mother passed away too young. She kept it open for him, bringing him to work with her during school holidays or after classes when his dad was still working long shifts.

He grew up in this shop, and the traditions just _were_ for him. They weren't a big mystery or something to be revered. He simply didn't know any different.

He went to culinary school to learn different styles of cooking, different baking and customs. And he also took some classes in criminal justice on the side. If there's one thing Stiles Stilinski was, it was a man made in his family's image—both sides.

But the shop's traditions were bigger than him and anything he learned in school. His grandparents met in Poland when his grandmother's family had their shop there. When they came to America they opened a shop in its image and followed the same recipes, steps and traditions. The shop flourished.

His mother and father met at the shop and were stupidly, happily in love until she passed. According to the newspaper clippings and the few broadcasts Stiles knew his grandparents taped from the VCR when he was younger there were countless other people who believed in the shop's power.

Stiles, though. Stiles just wanted to run a successful business and make his family proud. Some of his best memories from growing up were within the kitchen and small seating area of Divinity.

He asked his grandmother, numerous times growing up and as an adult, why people believed they would find true love in their shop. Her answer never changed but how she said it did as he aged. "There is an intimacy in sharing what you make with your own two hands. Only when you're honest with your cooking can you be honest with yourself, kochanie." 

Even now that she was taking it easy and finally retired she refused to tell him. Just insisted he make the kołacz recipe as he was taught and everything would sort itself out.

John refused to say anything, either, mostly because he didn't know the real secrets anyway. He married into the family, he wasn't blood, he would say.

Stiles loved Divinity, though, even if he didn't buy into people actually getting to their hearts via their stomachs. He loved rising early and beating anyone else on his block to work so he could start to roll out the doughs and let the breads rise, prepare that day's pastries and the soup of the day along with pot pies and stuffed rolls and, if he had enough time, experiment on new things.

Tuesdays and Fridays were kołacz days and, accordingly, "date nights" in his shop. All the hype around the those days was for one desert recipe that his grandmother brought with her from Poland. _Apparently_ (and Stiles always felt some guilt when he thought about it in such a sarcastic and disbelieving way, if only because his grandmother would smack him upside the head if she ever heard him speak of kołacz this way), it was a traditional polish wedding cake that over time was rebranded to his family's benefit.

The legend had it that by sharing the kołacz a couple would know within the next week if they were with their soulmate. Some people were so hung up on the idea that the kołacz would foretell true love for them that they would try to make reservations for the desert throughout the week but it was strictly a first come, first served basis. On Saturday mornings without fail at least one couple would show up as soon as he opened, hoping there was some left over from the night before.

It wasn't like Stiles wanted to ruin anything about the family bakery or make it seem like he was dishonoring his grandmother or mother but finding love over shared kołacz, really?

"Have you ever shared it with anyone?" one of his front-end employees, Erica, asked out of the blue one day.

"Nope," Stiles replied shortly.

"Because you're afraid?" She teased.

Stiles gave her a _look_. "Because I grew up with it and I got tired of it."

Erica left it alone but Stiles could tell she still had questions. She wanted to try it herself, he knew. She'd been with Boyd for a little under a year and he could see, plain as day, that they were head over heels for each other.

But apparently a baked good was the only way to know for _sure_.

Yeah, it was a good thing he kept behind the scenes and didn't deal too much with the customers, especially on "date nights".

The further the idea perpetuated the longer the shop stayed open, and that's all that mattered to Stiles.

***

"I swear, Der, it's the best in here. There's new stuff on the menu, you'll find something, grumpy pants."

Stiles looked up from behind the counter, further down from the till where he was putting some sandwiches together for the approaching lunch crowd. He caught sight of Laura Hale, one of the newer lawyers at a firm just down the street. She was in a couple times a week, at least, but today was the first time she was with someone.

Stiles ducked his head into the display case to start arranging the sandwiches, taking his time as he took in her lunch date. Her very tall, dark and handsome—and yes, grumpy looking—date.

"Stilinski!" Laura called out and Stiles cracked his head on the top of the display as he tried to stand up. He backed out of the case, shooting Isaac, one of his other front-enders, a glare when he snickered and straightened to see Laura grinning at him across the counter.

"What's amazing today?" She asked with a wink.

Stiles rolled his eyes but mirrored her stance and leaned over the counter from the other side. "You know it's always going to be me, Laura."

"Like I have any doubt," Laura replied with a laugh. "But what would you recommend to my perpetually cranky brother Derek here so he falls in love with your food and eats more than protein shakes and cardboard energy bars?"

"Yeah, no, that shit's a crime against nature. And taste buds," Stiles groaned as he looked past Laura to where Derek was standing stiff and awkward. Clearly he was out of his element because his hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket and he had a hella scowl on his perfectly five o'clock shadowed-face. Without Laura Stiles would have taken him for a biker or mob hit man or maybe someone out for revenge with a very particular skill set.

"Although..." Stiles started, under his breath, but stopped as soon as Laura's eyes narrowed at him and a wicked smirk started playing on her lips. "Uh, beef pot pies are good today. Paired with split pea soup and a cheese biscuit, fresh out of the oven about an hour ago."

"Of course they are," Laura moaned, doing a pretty spot-on imitation of Homer Simpson. "We'll take two, please."

"Laura—" Derek said suddenly and stepped forward.

"No, you're trying it or you can find somewhere else to stay until you get the house ready," Laura cut him off with just enough edge of bitchy older sister that even Stiles wanted to whine at her. Derek's scowl deepened but he didn't say anything else.

"Jeez, where'd you get this one?" Stiles asked in a joking tone and nodding to Derek who still hadn't looked directly at him yet.

"The airport, unfortunately. Derek's moving back to town, too!"

"You don't have to tell everyone, Laura," Derek muttered.

"Stiles isn't just anyone, Derek. He's a friend," Laura said and winked at Stiles. He flushed a little but didn't correct her. If Laura Hale wanted to be friends with him, hey, they were friends.

***

The soup was a hit with Mr. Grumpy Pants. He ate three biscuits and grunted something that might have been somewhat positive when Stiles asked if he liked the pot pie. 

Stiles took it as a yes.

Laura beamed at them from across the table.

Stiles gave a tentative smile back and Derek just raised an eyebrow.

Oh boy.

***

Stiles caught Laura's eye the next week when she popped in for lunch but he was too busy filling orders to chat. She waved each time on her way out and Stiles appreciated the acknowledgement.

He saw Derek, however, mid-afternoon the following Monday. He backed out through the swinging kitchen door holding two large trays of kołacz to put in the oven. He usually baked through the afternoon and sometimes late into the night to make sure he could supply the demand for the desert the next day. 

He slid the the two trays onto the counter and pushed the button to preheat the oven before he turned around and jumped in surprise.

"Sorry," Derek said quietly from the end of the counter near the cash register. There were a couple stools there that were for customers but rarely did anyone actually sit there except for Stiles himself when he was taking a breather to wolf down a meal or check his texts.

"No, it's okay. Just wasn't expecting anyone to be there," Stiles explained, laughing a little. "What's up? Been served yet?"

Derek jerked his head towards the corner where Erica was sitting across from Boyd, leaned in close across the small table. Stiles rolled his eyes but shrugged it off. Derek was the only actual customer in the shop at that moment and didn't look nearly as awkward or cranky as he seemed when he was with Laura the week before.

"What can I get you?" Stiles asked, pointing above his head to the chalkboard menu with the weekly bread schedule, standard sandwiches and the daily soup and combo.

"You're Polish, right?" Derek asked, eyeing him. Stiles nodded slowly. "There's no perogies on the menu."

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and cringed. "Yeah, I'm working on it. My grandmother is amazing when it comes to making hers and I'm trying to get as good as her before I get them up there. I get shit from the regulars all the time about it. I have cabbage soup and roast beef on cheese and garlic sourdough, if that sounds okay to you, though."

Derek nodded and Stiles hurried about behind the counter, getting the sandwich ready and ladling a large bowl of soup. He could feel Derek's eyes on him but he didn't dare look back or he ran the risk of getting distracted and dropping something. Or meeting Derek's eyes and wanting to talk to him more. And babbling on at length, embarrassing himself in the process.

It would only to badness, basically.

"I didn't mean anything bad about the perogies," Derek mumbled when Stiles put his soup and sandwich on the counter for him. Stiles looked up, surprised.

"I didn't think you did," Stiles replied with a shrug. 

"Okay," Derek grunted. He started eating and Stiles left him to it, not sure what to make of that exchange.

The bells at the door rang, heralding a new customer, and Stiles signalled to Erica to wrap it up with Boyd. Once she was back behind the counter Stiles put the trays of kołacz into the pre-heated oven and disappeared to the back to make another batch. 

By the time Stiles went back to the front to check on them Derek was gone and Erica was ringing his bill through. As he passed she pressed his slip to his chest, forcing him to look at it. With a grin she pointed to the bottom where Derek scrawled, _It was good. Thanks._

"I don't know why you're showing me this," Stiles said, shoving the slip back at Erica who put it in the till.

"Sure you don't," she said with a nod and a knowing smile.

Shit.

***

Derek showed up again on Thursday when Stiles was, once again, putting a batch of kołacz in the oven for the next day. Stiles watched him come in the shop, again nearly empty at midday post-lunch rush, and he picked the stool at the end of the counter once more.

It seemed like Derek's wardrobe rarely varied. He was wearing the same leather jacket, jeans and what looked like a soft cotton Henley but in a different colour from the other two times they met. But when Stiles looked closely, inconspicuously he hoped, he could see Derek's hands were calloused and he had a few bandaids, his jeans had a few splotches of what looked like paint and his hair was covered in a fine coat of what looked like dust or something like it.

"Rough day?" Stiles asked as a greeting.

"Been working on the house," Derek replied, sounding tired. "Was drywalling and started on the mudding and taping today."

Stiles nodded, like he had _any_ idea what those things were beyond a general passing understanding of construction. "Your sister said something about getting a house ready when you were here together?"

"Our old family house," Derek replied. Stiles waited for a beat for Derek to continue but he didn't. 

"Okay, cool. Anyway, take a look at the menu and let Isaac know what you want, okay?" Stiles said, nodding to his co-worker who was bussing plates to the back. He started to leave to go back to the kitchen but Derek spoke up.

"What are you baking?"

Stiles spun around, confused. "What?"

"Monday and today you were making something, was wondering what it was," Derek said with a nod to the oven and the pans waiting to go in.

"Oh! It's called kołacz. It's a traditional desert. Kind of like a filled cake-y pie. Or pie-y cake, depending on how you look at it."

 "Any good?"

Stiles gave Derek a look. "Everything here is good."

Derek's lip quirked up a little. "You know what i mean." 

"I barely know you so I don't, but yes. It's good. Today I'm making a poppy seed one and one with raspberry."

Derek made a face. "Ever make anything with strawberry or rhubarb?"

"Haven't yet," Stiles replied and Derek's face fell a little. "But I experiment a lot so I might still. I'm still getting a feel for this place as my own, testing the water with what I can get away with without scaring away the regulars."

"This is all yours? Laura said something about it being your grandmother's?"

"It was. Is? She opened it after she and my grandfather immigrated here in the 50's. My mom worked here until she passed away when I was a kid. I got it in my head that I was going to take over so my grandmother kept it going until I was old enough and through school."

"That's..." Derek drifted off, brow furrowed.

"Lame?" Stiles supplied, figuring that's what he thought.

"Really cool," Derek replied. "People forget how important family is too often. I'm sure your mom would be happy with your choice."

Stiles was quiet for a second, searching Derek's face for... anything. But he was open and genuine, truly the first time Stiles saw him as more than closed off and frowning.

"Thanks," Stiles said softly. Derek nodded back.

There was a pause between them, like they were trying to decide whose turn it was to speak next. Stiles opened his mouth and—

"Stiles, you good? Want me to take his order?" Isaac asked, coming out of the kitchen. Stiles blinked and nodded quickly. 

"Sure, sure. Yeah. Thanks, Isaac," Stiles said quickly. "Have a good day, Derek."

Derek nodded and Stiles thought that maybe he seemed disappointed as Stiles disappeared into the kitchen again. 

Maybe.

Probably not.

***

Derek was a regular twice a week from then on. Always Mondays and Thursdays when Stiles was getting his supply ready for "date nights". Laura usually popped in for lunch on Tuesdays and Fridays and they never got a chance to speak more than a couple words here and there because the shop was always busy.

About a month after Derek started showing up on his own Laura reached over the counter to where Stiles was preparing her sandwich and made him look up. 

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, jerking her head to the end of the counter, by the kitchen door. Stiles nodded and finished getting her lunch together, then followed her out of the line up, leaving Erica and Isaac to handle the rush on their own for a few minutes.

"Everything okay?" Stiles asked, growing mildly concerned.

"Has Derek been coming by here?" Laura asked.

"A couple times a week, just like you," Stiles replied with a shrug.

"Huh," is all Laura said. 

"Is everything okay?" Stiles asked. "Is _Derek_ okay?"

Laura grinned suddenly and nodded. "He's great. Thanks Stiles!" She grabbed her lunch and left quickly, parting the crowded shop floor like Moses in the Red Sea.

 "Weird family," Stiles muttered under his breath before returning to help with the rush.

***

Derek didn't show up on Monday afternoon like he usually did.

Stiles hung around behind the counter for over an hour, finding things to do just so he could look up every time the door bells clanged in case it was him.

By the time the dinner rush started he knew he wasn't going to show up.

He _wasn't_ disappointed.

And he didn't give Erica a foul glare when she teased him about waiting around for "Tall, Dark and Scowly".

He did apologize later, though.

***

On kołacz nights Stiles had his best friend Scott come in to cover seating while Isaac and Erica helped him behind the counter. Who would have thought a bakery would need a bouncer?

But a lot of things boggled Stiles' mind lately, like where Derek was the day before. He thought about calling to the law office Laura worked at to get Derek's number but decided that was ultimately very creepy and over-reactionary and so figuratively sat on his hands and tried to be patient.

He felt at ease in his shop, running back and forth to the kitchen to check on the other pan of buns and lasagna he had cooking at staggered times, checking on the kołacz supply and generally making sure things ran smoothly. It was one of the few places he felt like he wasn't a total spaz.

"Scott just sat your lover boy," Erica announced as she passed by him in the kitchen, coming to load her tray with more lasagna.

And just like that it was all ruined. He dropped his thermometer and nearly tripped over the damn garbage can.

"What? Who? Derek?"

"Scott seated the guy you've got the hots for. Derek. Yes," Erica answered him without missing a beat.

"Okay. Okay," Stiles breathed.

"He's not alone, though," Erica added before breezing back out to the front and Stiles wanted to strangle her.

"Lead with that next time!" Stiles yelled and picked up the thermometer and put it beside the sink with a groan.

Stiles waited longer than he knew he should've before going back to the front. Of course Scott seated Derek at one of the tables closest to the counter and it all felt _weird_ because he wasn't at the counter talking to him and it was loud and the shop was full of people and Derek was sitting with a pretty brunette who looked _incredibly_ happy to be out with him.

"I know about this place!" she was saying, looking around. She gave Derek a wide, excited smile.

"Yeah, Stiles makes good food here," Derek replied, returning the smile but slower.

"We'll have to share his desert," Derek's date said quietly, but loud enough for Stiles to hear, reaching her hand across the table to cover one of his. Derek squeezed her fingers quickly then pulled back to look up at the menu, even though he knew it almost all by heart now. When he did he caught sight of Stiles who didn't have time to duck behind the display case and cursed himself under his breath.

"Stiles!" Derek said loudly and gestured for him to come to the table.

Stiles forced a grin and walked out from around the counter, feeling comparable to making the trip to the principal's office in high school. 

"What's up?" Stiles greeted and hoped he sounded halfway normal.

"Jennifer, this is Stiles. He owns Divinity. Stiles, this is Jennifer. Laura set us up," Derek explained as he looked up at Stiles. Stiles couldn't help but notice how forced Derek's smile seemed to be. He liked to think he was getting to know him pretty well but it might all be in his head. 

"Nice to meet you, Jennifer. Is there anything I can help you with tonight?" Stiles asked politely.

"Well I'm already out with this one," Jennifer started, smiling big at Derek who nodded back with a half smile and Stiles could absolutely tell now that Derek was uncomfortable as hell. "But if you have a vegan option for your special tonight I'd love you forever!"

Stiles winced. "Unfortunately I don't. I'm exploring other options when it comes to what I cook but so far I haven't quite gotten there."

"Oh, that's too bad. Guess we'll just have to stick with your Tuesday special. The ku- kol. Um, the cake you make," Jennifer said quickly. 

Stiles held back another wince and started to reply but Derek cut him off. "It's kołacz. And I'm pretty sure it has cream cheese in it, right Stiles?"

Derek looked up at him while Stiles bit back a big grin. "That's right. Sorry about that. I could see if I could make something quickly in the kitchen for you? I'm not sure what I can make off hand, though."

"No, that's fine," Jennifer replied shortly, mouth set in a firm line. "Derek, can we go somewhere else please?"

Derek shot Stiles an apologetic look before he stood up and helped Jennifer into her coat. 

"See you Thursday?" Stiles called out before he could stop himself. Derek turned around and truly smiled back.

"You bet."

***

On the one hand Derek was dating. Dating someone that wasn't him.

On the other hand Derek _smiled_ at Stiles and said he'd see him today.

Stiles would take what he could get.

"Nice little pep in your step there, boss," Erica said as Stiles bopped out of the kitchen to a beat only in his head. "Wonder why?"

"Don't ruin this for me, Erica," he crooned as he passed by her with a batch of stew for the front warmer.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, honestly happy to see Stiles in such a good mood.

By the time Derek arrived Stiles was scratching away in his journal where he wrote down ideas for new breads or menu items. He felt inspired for the first time in a while and wanted to make something new, something that would impress his grandmother.

And maybe other people, too.

"Will I be intruding by sitting here?" 

Stiles looked up from where he was bent over the counter, right where Derek usually sat. Derek had an amused smile on his face, watching Stiles as he worked.

"Of course not," Stiles replied with a wide smile. He tucked the book into the pocket of his apron. "How's it going?"

"Better now that I'm here," Derek said and then flushed a little, as if he hadn't meant to say that. Stiles bit back a wider smile.

"How's the house coming?" Stiles asked, sprawling sideways to lean on the counter so he could still look at Derek.

Derek nodded his head as he thought. "Along? There's more to it than I thought, but I'm learning a lot as I go." At Stiles' raised eyebrow he added, "I'm a trained carpenter but I'm leaning about flooring and wiring, plumbing-everything else."

"Thought it was just some renovations or something?" Stiles asked.

"Um." Derek seemed to fold in on himself a little and Stiles felt like he crossed a line. He moved to go back to the kitchen, down the counter, anywhere but right here.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said hurriedly. "Let me know when you're ready to order."

"There was a fire," Derek said quietly but loudly enough for Stiles to hear in the quiet shop. Stiles stepped closer to Derek again.

"We were the only two who made it out and I took it pretty hard so Laura packed us off to New York for a few years. She got her degree and then wanted to come home. It took me a while to come around but I decided if I was gong to come back I'd do it right so I'm restoring our house. She thinks I need help finding friends. Or girlfriends... boyfriends. She keeps trying to set me up with people from her office or her friends, I don't know. Jennifer was one of those, like I said."

Stiles wasn't sure what to say. He nodded.

"You're kind of the only person I know who Laura didn't try to force into my life."

"Except she kind of did when she brought you here, didn't she?" Stiles asked, a little worried about the answer.

"Nah, she really was worried I wasn't responsible enough to feed myself properly. She actually mentioned that she didn't think we'd get along at all."

"Because I'm a spaz and you're a grouch?" Stiles supplied, reading between the lines. Derek got red again but laughed and it was a wonderful sound.

"I have a question," Derek started, and Stiles nodded for him to go ahead. "What's the deal with the kołacz?"

Stiles resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's kind of our family tradition with this business. It's a bit of an urban legend or an old wives tale, I don't know. Has to do with meeting your true love and living happily ever after and all kinds of other bullshit. But you did _not_ hear me say that."

"You don't believe in it, I take it?"

"That a Polish cake can decide who I'm meant to be with for the rest of my life, forever and ever, amen? No. Know what I do believe?" Derek cocked his head. "That it's a damn fine product and tastes amazing. So I have full faith that my customers are in love with the kołacz."

Derek laughed again and Stiles was internally beside himself that he made Derek Hale laugh twice in one visit.

***

A funny thing happened a couple weeks later. 

Stiles woke up on a random Wednesday and wanted to share a kołacz with Derek. 

But _ironically_ , right? Like, in a "ha ha, isn't this funny and totally crazy and I have a giant crush on you, please like me" way.

Oh shit.

***

Two days later it was just a curse. 

Because no sooner did Stiles let himself believe that maybe— _maybe_ —he had a shot with Derek did his hopes shatter into pieces.

Derek walked in on "date night" with a date.

One of his father's deputies, in fact. And clearly someone Derek had some familiarity with because Derek was smiling at Jordan like he smiled at Stiles just a couple weeks earlier.

Stiles kept himself hidden in the back this time, not wanting to have a replay of what happened with Jennifer.

"Stiles?" Erica approached him quietly during the dinner rush and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The reason I don't eat the kołacz is because I'm not meant to be the one to share it with anyone," Stiles told her without turning around. "Maybe I am scared, after all. But when it comes right down to it if I don't eat it I don't have to believe that maybe the stupid tradition is true."

Erica squeezed his shoulder gently and left him alone. He went to the fridge and took out a plate he made earlier that day as a trial. He thought maybe he'd ... it didn't matter. 

 He put it on a tray and when Isaac came back he sent it out with him with instruction that it was on the house. Stiles crept to the kitchen door to peek through and watch the exchange, just to dig the knife in that much deeper.

"Hey, this is for you guys," Isaac said, appearing with a plate that he put in the middle of the table.

"We didn't order desert, though," Derek said, confused, while Jordan looked disappointed.

"Stiles sent it out, made it especially for you," Isaac explained with a shrug.

"Really?" Derek asked, staring down at the plate curiously.

"You didn't hear it from me but he's been playing with this flavor for a couple weeks now. Usually the kołacz is fairly standard and doesn't get changed up much."

"What kind is it?"

"Strawberry rhubarb. He was cursing up a storm all morning about it, too," Isaac explained and Stiles could see the surprise on Derek's face from his hiding place.

Jordan said something quietly with a smile on his face and Derek looked up at him, jarred out of his thoughts. Derek nodded in return.

Jordan looked up at Isaac who gave Derek a glance before he started walking back to the kitchen.

Stiles slipped back inside before Isaac entered, face unreadable.

"Well?" Stiles asked, giving up on sounding casual. Isaac shrugged. "They want to take it to go."

Stiles wasn't sure what he was expecting but the way his heart thumped painfully in his chest turned out to be at the very bottom of the list that he wanted.

"Good," Stiles said shortly. "Hope it works for them."

He disappeared into the shop office and closed the door behind him while Isaac returned to Derek's table with the to-go container.

***

Isaac and Erica just left for the night and Stiles wasn't going to be too far behind. He was doing a quick check through his prep for the next morning with most of the lights off and background music off. If he was going to bake he'd have his own iPod blasting music to get him into a rhythm but right now Stiles wanted everything to be silent.

Which didn't work well when the front door bells jangled, someone coming in after hours. Stiles cursed Erica and Isaac under his breath because they didn't lock up behind themselves when they left. He had the sense of mind to grab his good, thick rolling pin just in case it was a burglar or otherwise bad news, but when he stepped out of the kitchen and behind the counter he saw Derek standing in the middle of the shop, holding a to-go container.

The only light came from the accent lights over the counter and they cast a soft glow between Stiles and Derek.

"Something wrong with it?" Stiles asked, nodding to the container.

"Nothing. I don't think, anyway," Derek said as he approached the counter slowly. When he got there he was standing directly under one of the lights and it made it look like he had a halo.

He put the container on the counter and opened it, showing the kołacz hadn't been touched.

Stiles looked up, confused and hopeful and curious.

"I realized what Laura's been trying to do this whole time and that I was going to eat this with the wrong person," Derek said.

Stiles opened his mouth but Derek held up a hand. "I know you don't believe your own hype about this thing so that's why I want to kiss you right now."

Stiles practically squeaked, "You do?" 

"I do. I _have_. Wanted to for a while now."

"But Parrish—"

"Someone I knew from high school. Before the fire and my life changed. We were catching up, or I was. If he wants more, well, he's not going to get it."

"Oh," was all Stiles said. 

"C'mere," Derek said huskily, leaning across the counter. Stiles leaned across to meet him slowly but just as he got within a breath's distance Derek pulled back. "Wait."

Stiles' heart was on a freaking roller coaster tonight and he wasn't sure he could take much more but then Derek was taking big strides around the counter and coming behind where customers weren't allowed and he was cupping Stiles' face with both hands, leaning in and finally _finally_ Derek's lips were on his.

Stiles clutched at Derek's arms, held him close and opened to him immediately, welcoming the warm swipes of Derek's tongue licking into his mouth and the smile he could feel against his lips. Derek's hands were warm and smooth against his face and he smelled like light soap, a woodsy scent and Divinity, as if being here so often was infused into his skin.

Maybe it was hopeful thinking on Stiles' part.

But maybe it was a sign of things to come. Because later, sitting in the kitchen on the floor with their backs against the cupboards and legs intertwined, Derek made Stiles try the kołacz he made and he had to admit that it was pretty damn good.

It was even better licking the crumbs off Derek's lips.

***

The next day during a lull in the afternoon Stiles Facetimed his grandmother in Florida and told her how things were going. Explained what he was experimenting with and the new additions to the menu. 

Casually slipped in that he was going to introduce a new flavor of kołacz to the rotation.

"I get it now, babcia," Stiles said, and her eyes sparkled, understanding what he meant.

The bells at the door rang and Stiles looked up, grinned and felt a shiver run through his body when his eyes fell on Derek walking in. Derek smiled back, easy and open.

"I look forward to meeting your new friend when I come home," Stiles' grandmother told him with a knowing smile. Before he could reply she blew him a kiss and disconnected the call. 

"Everything okay?" Derek asked, taking his regular seat. Stiles leaned over the counter and kissed him softly.

"Honestly? Everything's great."


End file.
